The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on May 31 issued an epidemiological alert about a rise in pertussis cases in a number of countries in the Americas, which comes in the wake of a sustained decline in pertussis vaccine coverage that gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

The average global pertussis case total declined sharply during the pandemic, reaching a historical low in 2021. Since then, cases have been on a steady rise. In the Americas, cases in 2012 were at their highest point in a decade, then fell progressively until 2022, but began rising again in 2023 with about 4,100 cases in the region. In 2024, the Americas logged nearly 44,000 cases.
After the pandemic, pertussis vaccination showed a partial rebound in the Americas, though coverage varies between and within countries.
US leads countries reporting recent spikes
PAHO focused on seven Americas countries that are seeing rising cases in 2025, with the United States reporting the most cases, 10,062 as of late April. Five deaths were reported, four of them in children younger than 1 year old. States with the highest case numbers are Washington, Oregon, and California, and the most affected age group are children ages 11 to 19 years old.
Other countries reporting rises this year include Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Paraguay.
The group urged countries to enhance their surveillance systems for the disease, including the tracking of vaccine coverage, especially to identify gaps in the youngest children who are most at risk for the disease.